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Liquid Oil Trapped inside PVA Electrospun Microcapsules
David Mínguez-García1, Noel Breve2, Lucía Capablanca1
1Departamento de Ingeniería Textil y Papelera, Universitat Politècnica de València, 03801 Alcoy, Spain.
Polymers
|December 11, 2022
Summary
This study developed a novel electrospinning method to create a nanofiber net that entraps essential oil microcapsules, preventing coalescence and retaining liquid oil.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Electrospinning typically produces solid or core-shell fibers.
- Controlling parameters in emulsion electrospinning can lead to fiber coalescence, hindering microencapsulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prevent coalescence during emulsion electrospinning.
- To create a nanofiber net for entrapping essential oil microcapsules.
- To characterize the resulting microcapsules and nanofibers.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of an oil-in-water emulsion using polyvinyl alcohol, sage, and thyme essential oils.
- Application of an electrospinning process to form a nanofiber net.
- Characterization using organoleptic testing, SEM, FTIR, DSC, and pressure tests.
Main Results:
- Successful entrapment of essential oil microcapsules within a polyvinyl alcohol nanofiber net.
- Demonstrated presence and liquid state of essential oils via FTIR, DSC, and pressure tests.
- Established a correlation between emulsion droplet size and microcapsule formation, influencing their integration into the nanofiber matrix.
Conclusions:
- The developed electrospinning technique effectively prevents coalescence, yielding intact oil microcapsules.
- The size of the initial emulsion droplets dictates whether microcapsules are discrete or embedded within the nanofiber structure.
- The presence of oil significantly reduces nanofiber diameter compared to oil-free nanofibers.
